Reconsidering Machina #1

I'm going to allow you to join me on a musical journey this week. I'm determined to see if the Smashing Pumpkins' Machina/the machines of god will grow on me or not. You saw my first impressions in this post. Now, as I listen to it more, I want to document my ever-growing feelings about the songs and the album as a whole. Will I end up loving it? Will I still think it sucks after a week? Stay tuned!

Here are my thoughts about Machina today:

I do enjoy album-opener "The Everlasting Gaze." If the Pumpkins made the whole album sound as exciting and rock-and-roll as that, the album would have been a success.

Some of the songs are starting to grow on me. I can sense a hint of melody peeking through. The sound of the album is closer to Adore than anything else, except with more guitars.

Speaking of guitars, some of the tracks would have been much improved if they had been made harsher, louder, more aggressive. Some choruses mostly whine and whimper and make a half-hearted attempt at rocking, and they would sound so much better if the guitars exploded with sound.

The worst thing about the album, right now, is the lack of discipline in the musicianship. The songs mostly meander about and overstay their welcome. If things had been tightened up a bit, if excesses were suppressed, the album would have been easier to listen to. Also, some of the songs are just depressing.

Those are my thoughts today. Come back tomorrow to see if I've changed my mind or had any more insights into this beast of an album.